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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Jul
7
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
This week’s manufacturer news
ABARTH – Prices for the Abarth 500C and Abarth Punto Evo have been announced. The 500C will be priced at £17,500 on the road and will have a 1.4 litre 16V turbo T-Jet 140bhp petrol engine. The Punto Evo will be priced at £16,500 on the road and will have a 1.4 litre 16V Multiair 165bhp engine. Both models made their UK public debuts at Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend and are expected to go on sale from 17th July.
FORD – Is to reduce the recommended retail prices of their small and medium sized cars by an average of 11% during August.
 KIA – Has announced details of the new Sportage First Edition. It will be the first model to be released as part of the newest shape Sportage, with other models in the range due to be launched in November. The First Edition will feature all-wheel drive and will be available with a choice of manual or auto transmission. It will have a 2.0 litre CRDI diesel engine and includes standard features such as leather upholstery, climate control and 18” alloys wheels. Pricing will be announced at a later date and it is due to go on sale on 1st August.
 VOLVO – Has announced details on the up-and-coming V60 sportswagon. It will be available with the following engines: a T3 150ps petrol, T4 180ps petrol, T5 240ps petrol, T6 304ps petrol, D3 163ps diesel, D5 205ps diesel and 1.6 D DRIVe 115ps diesel. 50,000 units are expected to be built in the first year, with 90% of these being allocated to the European market. Deliveries of the new V60 are expected in autumn 2010. Pricing and specification will be announced at a later date.
First driving impressions – Renault Wind roadster, European press launch, Cannes
Renault chose the South of France to launch their new two-seater open-top sports car and they couldn’t have picked a better place to test it. The weather was perfect, with a temperature of around 33°C, a clear blue sky and some roads that really put the car through its paces.
 The innovative electric roof is solid and goes up or down in twelve seconds. The boot lid lifts up backwards and the roof section rotates into the boot; it is all very simple and quick. The cantilever action of the roof is neat, works extremely well and takes up very little room in the boot. The boot is surprisingly large regardless whether the roof is up or down.
Despite it only measuring 3,833mm, the cabin is spacious with plenty of leg, head and shoulder room. The seats are comfortable and have a premium touch and feel, and the dashboard is made from hard plastic but it does suit the car. There are some retro looking door handle pulls which is basically just a loop of leather to pull on to close the doors; a simple design, but it works. The interior design looks great, is of a reasonably high quality and its basic styling is a big plus rather than a minus.
 We drove both engines around the Cote d’Azur on motorways and up in the hills above Cannes. We thought the 1.2 litre 100ps engine may have struggled up some of the mountain roads, but it didn’t. It took every one in its stride and although it wasn’t quick, it certainly didn’t seem to be struggling. The other engine, the 1.6 litre 133ps, has a much more throaty exhaust note so it sounds better, but the extra power was not that noticeable. The 1.2 litre would be my choice as it is cheaper to run and insure. This engine will be more desirable on the used market as it will attract a younger buyer and is more affordable.
 The handling was surprisingly good, but this is because it has been tuned by RenaultSport Technologies and has benefitted enormously from its engineers. For such a small car it feels rock-solid and cornered as if it were on rails; it felt so safe to drive. The brakes were equally as impressive as they have ABS with EBD, brake assist and ESP.
There will be three models at launch: Dynamique, Dynamique S and the limited edition Collection. The base car has a long list of standard equipment which includes 16” alloy wheels, air conditioning, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, cruise control, front fog lights, sports seats and trip computer. Pricing for the 1.2 litre is £15,500, going up to £18,200 for the 1.6 litre Collection.
 We had great fun in the Wind in the South of France and this small, sexy car certainly did attract a lot of attention. The starting price at £15,500 does seem a bit expensive, despite the standard specification being good, but it will no doubt be a hit with the ladies, who will love its design and ease of use.
First driving impressions – Nissan Juke
 The Juke is described as a crossover by Nissan and is certainly in a category of its own. It is set to become the ‘mini-Qashqai’, but I don’t think this is the case as it is not that much shorter (it measures 4135mm in length compared to the Qashqai at 4330mm). The Juke may be classed as a crossover, but it is to all intents and purposes a five door hatchback that will compete with the Golf (measuring 4199mm) and the Focus (4337mm). So here is the dilemma; if the Juke is being sold as a smaller version of  the Qashqai, but is similar in size to other C sector cars, then where are the customers going to come from? The Qashqai is already being sold in direct competition with the Golf, Focus and other models within that sector, so will they gain custom from people who want a small Qashqai or want a change from C sector hatchbacks? It’s a potential conundrum that I don’t really understand. The Juke is a lot bigger than B sector cars such as Fiesta and Corsa, so it will in effect be competing directly with the Qashqai and I assume this is probably something that Nissan don’t want to happen.
The Juke is a tall car, so it provides plenty of head room and has a reasonably large cabin than can accommodate five adults easily. The interior has been well built and has a solid, quality feel to it. The luggage area is not as large as the Golf and the opening to the boot is quite a bit smaller, which does let it down a bit.
 We drove an early pre-production model, but the quality of this Sunderland built car was very good. The Juke 1.6 litre petrol that we drove had more than enough power. The choice of engines available will be: a 1.6 litre petrol 117ps, 1.6 litre turbo petrol 190ps and a 1.5 litre dCi diesel 110ps. The 1.6 litre turbo Tekna, the top of the range model, will be available with a CVT gearbox and 4WD. It will cost £19,995 which is in Mini Countryman diesel 4WD territory. By just offering the four wheel drive system on the most expensive car may be a mistake; it might have made more sense to offer it on the mid-range 1.5 litre dCi, but no doubt there will be reasons why this has not been possible.
There will be three trim levels available: Visia, Acenta and Tekna, and to make it easier to remember which way round they are, just think VAT. Prices will start from £12,795 when it goes on sale in September.
The new Nissan Juke is an attractive car that will appeal to a large audience; it certainly stands out in a crowd and is just that little bit different to anything else on the market at the moment.
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